A machine of a type in widespread use for wrapping packages with plastic film supplied on a roll, such as stretch film, comprises a frame, a ring rotatable on the frame and defining a circular path around a horizontal axis, a support extending horizontally toward an open center of the ring and arranged to support a package being wrapped, and a carriage mounted upon the ring for conjoint movement with the ring and arranged to support the roll of film with its axis parallel to the horizontal axis of the ring. The support may be a ledge or a conveyor. The carriage is movable along the circular path, around the ledge, when the ring is rotated so that film from the roll supported by the carriage is wrapped in successive layers, around the support and around a package supported by the support, as the carriage is moved around the ring.
A leading edge of the film is secured to the package, as by taping, before the film is wrapped therearound. After the support and the package supported by the support have been wrapped with plural layers of the film, the wrapped film is severed from the film remaining on the roll, and an outer layer of the wrapped film is secured to the next prior layer of the wrapped film, commonly by welding or taping.
Such wrapping machines are available commercially, as "MSB Stretch Bundlers", from ITW Mima (a unit of Illinois Tool Works Inc.) of Boca Raton, Fla. Manual machines are known, in which the carriage is moved manually along the circular path defined by the ring. Powered machines are known, in which the carriage is moved by a motor.
In a wrapping machine of the type noted above, as known heretofore, the film of the outer layer is bunched into a rope-like configuration when such film is severed from the film remaining on the roll. Generally, the rope-like configuration is retained when the outer layer is secured to the next prior layer, particularly if welding or taping is used.
Such a rope-like configuration can interfere with stacking or palletizing of the package with other packages. Also, such a rope-like configuration may lend an unsatisfactory appearance to a package, particularly if the package is placed into a retail store without removal of the film wrapping the package.
There has therefore been a need, to which this invention is addressed, for a better way to sever the film of the outer layer from the film remaining on the roll.